When should you get a lawyer for a car accident?

Proudly Representing the Chattanooga, Nashville and Nearby Atlanta, GA areas for 30 years

WOman and man looking at property damage following a car accidentThere were more than 7 million police-reported car accidents in 2016, the last year for which full statistics are available. Of these, just over 2 million resulted in personal injury. An additional 34,439 resulted in death. 1,041 of those fatal car accidents occurred in Tennessee.

While some accidents result in a loss of life and others in serious injury, a majority of police-reported car accidents are non-injurious, involving property damage only. This means that, for a majority of car accidents, an attorney is not necessary.

When a car accident involves property damage only, there is no reason to hire an attorney. Taking these cases to court is oftentimes more costly than the settlements they can produce and insurance companies, while not eager to pay full settlements, typically do okay by policyholders in these instances.

When injury is involved, however, that is not as often the case.

Car accident injuries, even those that seem minor, should be brought to the attention of a qualified personal injury lawyer before an insurance settlement is accepted. There are often unforeseen consequences caused by injury, and these things will need to be considered when seeking compensation.

Talking to Attorney Thornbury is free of both cost and obligation. If you are not certain if you have cause to file suit, call our Chattanooga office at 423-752-0544 to discuss your case with Mr. Thornbury and determine if taking legal action is the best course for you.

Complete Compensation

A typical insurance settlement may offer coverage for existing medical expenses and ongoing injury-related treatment. A lump sum for lost wages may be included as well. These things may seem significant. However, insurance companies are for-profit corporations with bottom-lines they are interested in protecting.

Offering full settlements to victims of car accidents wouldn’t allow insurance companies to continue taking in record-breaking profits or for their CEOs to make upwards of $340 million per year. That is not a misprint. 

In other words, insurance companies are not interested in your health and happiness. They are interested in keeping as much of your premiums as possible while paying you as little as they can to ensure their continued profit.

A car accident attorney can help you secure more complete compensation for your injuries by taking these claims to court where a jury can hear the full story and decide how much your claim is actually worth. An attorney gives you power in the negotiating process, helping ensure you are treated fairly, dealt with honestly, and provided the full compensation you deserve.

Herbert Thornbury is a board-certified civil trial specialist who prepares each case for a full trial. However, about 95% of personal injury claims are resolved before they go to trial, with victims seeing substantially more than they would have been offered without legal assistance.

We Can Help You Decide

If you are uncertain if your car accident qualifies you for legal action, call Herbert Thornbury, Attorney at Law at 423-752-0544 to schedule a complimentary case evaluation and learn how we can help. Mr. Thornbury will review your claim free of charge and without any expectations to provide you honest and useful information about your options and the most effective way forward.